Ike No Friends
by Ike4ever
Summary: Ike has gone through Brawl and become hardened to everything. No sympathy. And certainly no friends. Will anything change in Sm4sh? Maybe. Maybe not. Then again... Maybe.
1. Chapter 1

**Sort of a one shot. Had a sudden inspiration. If anyone is interested in more, I'd need an idea. PM me.**

He stared through the one way glass door into the lighted room. It had always been like this. As he had fully expected, Marth was surrounded by ladies eagerly talking to him, a few men hanging around as well, pretending like they were his friends so they had a chance with the girls. Marth was definitely one of the 'in' crowd. Definitely a leader.

Samus was also surrounded, dressed in her zero suit, confidently explaining the rules and telling those interested her story. She was also one of the veterans. One to be idolized. Part of the group.

Ike had been unqualified for Melee by a slim margin, the red haired Roy making it instead. It had crushed him briefly, but then stimulated him to try harder. Though he was sure he had failed his examinations and test run for Brawl, he had found, to his surprise, that he had gotten in, and not even as the lowest tiered character. This happy fact had been instantly crushed.

In Brawl Ike was labeled a slow character, physically and mentally. He was a klutz and he knew it. It didn't help that he constantly stuttered and blushed, embarrassed and nervous, around any of the girls. His occasional victories initiated his quote, "You'll get no sympathy from me," and he was unanimously shunned for weeks.

Not a friendly, amiable person in general, Ike had severely struggled to make any friends. He would have good strikes when he helped a teammate win during team battles, but the friendship disappeared the next day. His quip, "I fight for my friends," was an oxymoron and he knew it as much as everyone else did.

Trying to get into the 'in' crowd he had approached Marth one day, stuttering and stammering as he tried to begin some sort of talk with the famous prince. Not a good conversationalist to begin with, Ike found himself staring, ashamed, into the cold blue eyes, as he failed to even finish his question about the weather.

"You were the one who replaced Roy, weren't you?" The voice was icy and Marth didn't wait for an answer, turning around in a swirl of cape and leaving Ike, forsaken in the hallway.

Being shunned made him colder than usual and he accepted his fate as the outcast, growing colder and farther away. He seemed to fit in with another cold, dark figure; Snake. Yet, though they would sit at lunch together on occasion, they were never friends. And, having read the list earlier, Ike knew Snake hadn't qualified for Smash 4.

He thought about how he had changed. He was taller, more mature, had better command of himself; stronger. He wasn't scared of meeting new people now. He was himself. A hard stoic who didn't have friends, didn't want friends, and couldn't be softened. He was a well trained brawler with a quicker mind and a thirst for beating the dirt out of people that he hadn't had before. In Brawl he had been nice at heart, but insecure and nervous. By the end of Brawl he had become dark and sort of brooding. Through the training sessions and active working out; fighting constantly, before Smash 4, he had become an immovable giant who had no sympathy, no friends, and a cold, hard heart to guide him through this new life; a warriors mind.

Ike pushed open the door and stepped into the room, the heavy thud of his boots on the floor causing all in the room to turn their heads.

 **R &R. LMK if you want more and give a suggestion. Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I asked Maxcy Leland and she also offered, so this next chapter is written by her. PM Maxcy if you have questions!**

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They called him many things: the fifth wheel, the odd one out, the island, the hermit.

I called him something else. Lonely.

He had built an impenetrable fortress of solitude with a moat of silence and a wall of rejection. No one went in, and no one came out.

I'd seen people try to get in. Some of them tried to batter down the wall with angry words. He was too strong for them, and they left even angrier. "You're not worth it," they flung at him in their retreat.

Marth had tried knocking on the door. Once Roy returned to Smash, Marth reached out to Ike with smiles and invitations, trying to fix his past mistakes. But he was trying to repair the breach in his own castle of friendship with duct tape, since the stone of apology was too hard for him to work with. He failed of course, and Ike's wall of rejection became famous for how it had confounded Marth and Roy's best efforts.

I'm quiet by nature. People say I'm shy. I'm not. I just study a lot. I study quietly. Ike didn't know that I'd been watching him—studying his walls. No one knew.

It was New Years Eve. We were all around the bonfire outside, singing and waiting for midnight. 'All' at the mansion now meant everyone except Ike.

I could see Marth's gaze straying again and again to the hulking shadow of the Mansion. I knew that he felt responsible for the mercenary's absence. It was weighing on him even as he smiled and played the guitar and led the others in song with Samus at his side.

 _We won't be looking back_

 _We welcome this New Year_

 _Past wrongs are in the past_

 _We welcome this New Year_

 _No more of those old mistakes_

 _We welcome this New Year_

 _Rise up. Greet the first day_

 _We welcome this New Year_

I was wondering how I could approach Marth with my idea without anyone noticing, when Link opened up a bag and pulled out seven bottles of sparkling cider. Zelda produced a stack of plastic wine glasses.

"A toast to the Old Year," Link said, grinning. "Let's not forget the lessons we learned." He winked at Zelda and she rolled her eyes at this mention of the many arguments that had preceded their love.

The smashers crowded around to get their glasses filled. Link, having forgotten a bottle opener, was trying to pry the lids off with his teeth while the rest called encouragements.

I slipped up behind Marth, his arm hanging limply over the guitar as he watched his friends, his mind preoccupied by the one who wasn't his friend.

"Marth, if you can get a couple logs that need splitting, I'll try to bring Ike down."

"Good grief, Robyn, you can't sneak up on me like that. My heart nearly jumped out of my throat." He continued in low tones. "I'll get the logs, but don't be too disappointed when he refuses."

He slung the instrument off his shoulder as I melted into the shadows and headed for the mansion.

My hope was founded on one of Ike's victory slogans. I, along with everyone else, knew that when he said "I fight for my friends," he was declaring that he brawled because he didn't have any friends. But surely that statement must have meant something different at one time. Surely behind it was the spirit of someone who wanted to help.

I found him in the lobby, sitting in one of the red armchairs, watching the minute hand embark on its final revolution of this year. He didn't even flick an eyelid when I came and stood in front him.

"Ike?"

Silence.

"We need a couple logs split for the fire. Could you please help?"

"Link's a woodsman."

"Link's busy. Besides, it'll only take you a minute. Please come and help us."

He stared at the clock for a whole minute. I waited. He looked at me for the first time. "You still here?"

"Yes."

"Do you need me?"

"Yes."

He got to his feet. "This is insane."

But he followed me out to the group, laughing and talking around the cozy glow in their midst. The fire was going down. He took the hatchet and split the logs. I was right, it only took him a minute. He tossed a few pieces on the fire and turned to go.

Link blocked his way with a plastic glass of sparkling cider. "Here's yours," he said, thrusting the drink into Ike's hand.

"What do you want in the new year?" Roy asked from across the fire. "We'll have a toast to it."

"I want everyone to leave me alone," Ike snapped. He thrust the cider back at Link and stormed off to the Mansion. I looked down at my boots.

Peach proposed a toast to good friends, and the rest joined in heartily.

Marth came over and put his hand on my shoulder. "At least you got him to come down here. That's better than anyone else has ever done."

The toasts and singing continued. Then the clock tower in the mansion reverberated with twelve great bongs. Roy pulled Peach close to him. "Midnight strikes, but my princess isn't getting away from me." Peach giggled.

As the last stroke echoed through the night the area around the bonfire erupted with shouts and cheers. "Happy New Year!" rang through the dark sky.

Gradually the group dispersed. The younger smashers went to bed. The couples broke away and faded into the gardens. The rest scattered here and there until I was the one left to watch the fire. I stood a little distance from it, watching it die. My hope in Ike was dying with it. We had come on too strong and had scared him off for good.

Then I saw the cold mercenary himself, hesitating in the gray area between the glow of the fire and the thick shadows all around. He stepped into the light and sat down on one of the giant logs, looking into the red embers that were occasionally licked by the shrinking fire. He sensed my presence and looked up. His gaze met mine and he got up to leave. I ran over and pulled him back down. He shook off my grasp.

"Ike."

He didn't even slow.

"Ike, why are you running away from me?"

He was almost at the shadows. "I'm not running."

"Then come and sit by the fire," I coaxed. "You didn't come all the way down here for nothing."

He came and sat on the opposite end of the log. We stared at the dying flames in silence. A piece of one the logs broke off and tumbled away from the center, red hot. Its color began to fade and Ike reached out with the toe of his boot to kick it back to flames.

"Leave it be." I reached over and put a restraining hand on his arm.

"It's going out," he protested.

"Of course it is. It can't burn alone."

His head shot up and he looked hard at me. "And why should it wish to burn?"

"So that it can give light and heat instead of just falling into decay. All things come to an end, but this piece of wood will leave us with something to remember."

"I can blow on it. That will keep it alive." His eyes were narrowed at me, and I knew he was continuing this allegory game.

"For a time. But, Ike, you're just playing with fire. You've got to do it right if you really want something to come out of it."

We watched as the ember turned to gray. Then Ike reached down and pushed it back into the fire, blowing gently on the settled embers. They flickered to life. He added twigs—it began to blaze. He took the hatchet and split some more wood. He fed it to the flames, and after a moment the fire was growing.

Through the flames I saw his blue eyes unexpectedly twinkle. "A clever tactician, aren't you."

"I try," I answered, beaming. Already my mind was spinning as thought of the best way to bring Ike into a broader circle of friends.

 **If you liked it, R &R. If you want it to continue R&R and I'll think about it. ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is the third chapter and it's up because I asked Junior BLD to write it and she did! Thanks, Junior! Appreciate it! Please R &R and if you have any questions, feel free to PM me or Junior. Enjoy!**

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Clang! Cloud gripped his blade tightly, having successfully parried yet another of Ike's deadly sword strikes. The blonde soldier's body felt like lead and he was exhausted. Ike was always a war machine when it came to fighting, but today he had greatly surpassed his limits and Cloud was reaping the fruits of Ike's strength.

Their battle at the destroyed castle had been going on for a while now, both warriors fighting like ferocious dragons. Soon one of them would emerge victorious.

"Gotta keep going…" Cloud growled, feeling the Mako energy rushing inside him, almost at full capacity.

Ike charged forward, his eyes piercing like darts and his mouth a thin line. The mercenary may have been slow, but Cloud knew that one more hit from Ragnal would prove to be the end of him.

The blonde soldier leapt into the air and landed on the platform above him. His blue eyes glanced upwards and he saw it; the multi-colored floating orb that could help him win this match. "Smash Ball," he thought, focusing all of his attention on claiming the orb's power.

Cloud jumped forward and raised his sword to swing when Ike shot up to meet him in a blur of red and blue. The blonde warrior twisted to avoid Ike's blade, which swished by his head and struck the glowing orb.

A loud crack resounded through the air.

Cloud landed on the ground and looked up to find that the Smash Ball hadn't been broken, but went sailing over his head to the other side of the area. So Ike had only weakened it. He might still have a chance.

Gritting his teeth, Cloud dashed towards the Smash Ball, keeping a careful watch on Ike's blade, but the mercenary lunged past him in the air and reached the orb first. Two strikes from Ragnal and the colorful sphere still did not brake, hovering just out of reach.

"Why were those things so hard to get?" Cloud thought, his frustration, as well as his strength, reaching its limit.

Ike stood in a fighting stance, apparently hesitating in a decision to go for Cloud or try for the Smash Ball one last time before it flew into the blast zone.

His mind made up, Ike ran forward, eyes on the prize. Seeing this, Cloud got an idea, and quickly charged his Limit Break.

The blue haired mercenary jumped up onto a crumbling ledge of the destroyed castle and leapt into the air, holding his blade aloft.

"Limits were meant to be broken!" Cloud proclaimed, and sprang up after Ike, twisting in the air and clearing Ike's jump to launch off of the mercenary's shoulders. Cloud's eyes glinted as the orb neared and he swung out, with a Limit enhanced Cross Slash. The crack sounded loudly in his ears as he dropped to the ground in a crouch, new power rushing through him like fire.

"You're out of luck," the blonde soldier declared as Ike stood to face him, his eyes glinting with defiance. Cloud and launched himself at the mercenary, glowing with a vibrant, blue, energy.

One devastating Omnislash later, Ike was sent flying out of bounds and the two warriors were transported to the winner's pavilion.

"Better luck next time," Cloud said, holding his Fusion Blade across his shoulders and staring straight ahead. He kept his voice from sounding to confident and did not look back at Ike, clapping behind him.

The two fighters were transported back to the Smash mansion in a flash of electrical blue light. Both leaned against the walls of the long, carpeted hallway and tried to catch their breath. Cloud straightened up and was about to exit the room when Ike's voice startled him.

"Good match," the blue haired mercenary said evenly.

Cloud slowly turned to face him. "You, too," he responded, thinking that was all he would say.

Ike eyed the blonde soldier hesitantly, as if he wanted to say more but was struggling within himself to find the words—or the courage. "That's an… interesting sword," Ike forced out, nodding at the Fusion Blade, which was now strapped securely to Cloud's back.

"Thanks," Cloud answered, eyeing the swordsman with a hint of wariness and curiosity. As far as he had seen, Ike hadn't said two words to any other Smasher in the mansion unless he was somehow dragged into the conversation. Why did he want to talk now?

"You don't talk much," Ike said, raising an eyebrow—almost competitively.

Cloud's mouth tightened in perplexity. It was true he didn't speak to anyone nearly as much as maybe seemed normal, but if the Mako wasn't messing with his mind, he remembered that he was the only one who said a single word during their fight. And those were only natural catch phrases he was known for saying. Ike, on the other hand, had been completely silent.

"You don't, either," Cloud returned, his icy, vibrant, eyes staring directly into Ike's cold, blue ones.

Both burly swordsmen shifted awkwardly for a moment, and continued to stare at one another in silence. Cloud wasn't sure what he should do. He was never any good in these types of situations, like a light switch that wouldn't work when someone tries to turn it on. Could Ike maybe feel the same way? Was that why the mercenary had only now tried to connect with anyone, let alone him in particular?

Cloud continued to gaze at Ike, and figured that since Ike had reached out to him, he may as well at least try to return the favor. "So… what's your reason?" Cloud asked awkwardly, unsure if this was a good idea.

"For what?" Ike questioned warily, as if on guard, abruptly putting up a stone wall of defense against some kind of intruder.

The blonde soldier's hands were now balled into fists, trying to calm his nerves. He opened his mouth, but the words barely made it past his lips. "It's just… You know… you're always alone." Cloud could feel his face reddening and he wished his tone hadn't sounded so forced and dead. He stared distractedly at the ground so as not to see any amusement in Ike's eyes.

There was another long pause from the blue haired swordsman, but he managed to sidestep the soldier's inquiry. "What's yours?" he shot, rebounding the question back to the blonde warrior. Cloud glanced up to see Ike's own face was red, but determined.

Cloud should have known this conversation would not go in his favor, but he knew he'd never share his internal struggles with a virtual stranger who seemed to shut everyone out.

Ike's eyes hadn't grown any warmer, but there was a spark of curiosity in his voice now that intrigued Cloud. If he answered maybe Ike would return the favor and he could see who this mercenary truly was.

He coughed uncomfortably at the thought of opening up. Not many people could get past the blonde soldier's piercing eyes and huge sword in order to discover what was going on within, so he never had to express himself like this.

"I…" Cloud began, but his thoughts were like scattered puzzle pieces, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't put the words together. Only one statement seemed to form in his mind. "It's what everyone expects." He sighed inwardly at the dull, hollow answer, but let his eyes spark at Ike competitively. Would the mercenary be brave enough to answer?

Ike leaned forward slightly, but his eyes were still hard, as if allowing a small part of himself to emerge from the impenetrable fortress of solitude he had surrounded himself with was dangerous. Yet his posture showed he was listening and waiting for Cloud to continue.

The blonde warrior's brain struggled to gather his scattered thoughts. Expressing himself certainly didn't come as naturally as fighting. Events of their previously concluded battle replayed in his head, and Cloud finally found the words he needed. "I'm just a fighter. Another fighter… like you. No one cares and they don't need to. If they want to be friendly," he shrugged, "it's because they want to try to break me open, like the smash ball, and find the vulnerabilities inside." His eyes narrowed at Ike instinctively. "I don't need that."

Silence between the two of them now hung in the air like a void. This time, it was Ike's turn to break it. "Yeah. Like me," he huffed bitterly. "I thought I was the only one."

Cloud's eyes widened and he swallowed as he looked up at the mercenary with mild astonishment. He waited patiently for Ike to continue.

"Not that I need sympathy," Ike continued, defending his fortress and keeping the defenses high.

Cloud only nodded and Ike let out a heavy sigh, like a fire that had nothing to burn on, but still continued.

"I-I can't… really talk to people… and they're all watching me, trying to 'help'…" The swordsman made air-quotes with his fingers and brought up one hand to drag through his strange colored hair, sighing again. He gave a very small, crooked grin. "I'm a warrior. We're warriors. If they think battling is all I'm good at… then…" Ike ran down and his voice trembled briefly, either from awkwardness or some other emotion. Cloud didn't know swallowed again, trying to meet the mercenary's eyes.

"As if that's all _we_ are good at…" Ike amended, meeting Cloud's gaze evenly.

Cloud considered his inclusion in Ike's statement for a moment, then allowed for a small smile to play across his lips. "…Maybe it is all we're good at," he answered, half-heartedly trying to lighten the mood.

Ike stared at the blonde soldier and abruptly cracked a smile as well. But, after a moment, it vanished, and he became serious once more, as if he had accidentally exposed a breach in stone fortress and was now hiding again. "Good fight," he muttered, and headed for the exit towards his room.

Alone, Cloud pondered on the events that had taken place. "But we both know that's wrong," he said to himself. "We're not just warriors." He thought of the Smash Ball and compared it to himself and Ike. The other Smashers wanted to get into that 'soldier's mind' and see their true feelings, but they tried too hard, and only succeeded in driving them away. Yet Cloud felt as if he had indeed broken through Ike's shell, if only for a brief moment, while Ike himself had weakened his defenses as well.

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 **There you have it. Didn't Junior BLD do a great job? Not sure where to go with this fic either, so any suggestions would be nice, preferably along the lines of Ike learning to make friends. Maybe I'll write the next chapter or find someone else to. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back to writing for this fourth chapter. I hope you enjoy. My writing seems like less than compared to Junior and Maxcy, but we all give it our best shots. Please R &R because... I asked nicely.**

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"How's the food?" Cloud asked in a stiff voice.

Ike hesitated before glancing up from his plate of steaming chicken wings. "Spicy. Spicy good."

Cloud's eyes twinkled very briefly and he sat down across from the mercenary, placing his salad down on the table. "You like chicken, huh?"

"Not like salad is a warrior's food."

"Well, we both know I'm more than a warrior."

Ike kept a smile off his face as best he could, and nodded. "Right."

"Hey, guys!"

Both glanced up as Robyn entered, a young, blue-haired lady by her side. The smashers around the dining room looked up as well.

"This is Lucina. She's Chrom's daughter." Robyn gave a winning smile and motioned with her head.

Ike studied the bluenette. She was a swords woman, like Corrin and Robin. And she wore a crown. Royalty. By experience, Ike didn't like royalty.

"You guys," said Roy, chuckling. "Be nice! It's Marth's clone. You have to be friendly or he'll kill you."

Ike glanced sideways at the Hero King and saw him flush briefly.

"That's not true. I don't kill people." He stood and walked over to her. "I am Marth."

"Marth?" Her voice held deep disdain and she snorted, twirling her sword in her hand. " _This_ is the Hero King? Pathetic. I was expecting someone a lot buffer."

Normally Ike would have felt pleased that Marth was being dissed. Somehow it wasn't the same now and he pursed his lips.

Robyn's brother, Robin, entered the room and Ike saw his eyes brighten as he made his way over to Lucina. "Hey, Luci! R-remember me? Robin. You know?" He smiled coyly and Ike tried not to roll his eyes. The man was head over heels in love with this girl. What a sop.

"Of course I remember you. You're the old guy who looks like he's thirteen. Or you're thirteen with white hair. Who knows? Either way, you're as slow as a sloth. Well," she added, flipping her blue bangs from her eyes. "At least I'll have an easy time beating you people. Not that it's ever been hard for me to win."

"Lucina," said Robyn, remonstrating in a hesitant voice. She seemed embarrassed and shocked by her friend's behavior. "Everyone here has rightfully earned their place in Smash Bros." Her smile was fake. "And you can't be mean to my brother."

"I'm not being mean," snapped Lucina. "I'm telling the truth. Robin's pathetic and it's time you knew it," she added, turning to the male tactician.

His eyebrows knit and he took a step back. "Well, I…"

Ike glanced at Cloud and raised an eyebrow. The blonde soldier raised an eyebrow back, and murmured, "I'm going to eat somewhere quiet."

He stood with his plate of salad and walked towards the door. And Ike saw Lucina spot him. Her blue eyes glittered.

"Man! His hair's worse than Link's. His earring's worse too."

Cloud paused briefly before exiting. Ike felt his eyes spark as Cloud left and he pushed his chair away from the table, grabbed up his Ragnall, which was leaning against the wall, and walked over to her with his heavy gait until she had to look up to meet his gaze.

"Allow me to welcome you to Smash with a one-stock brawl." His voice was even and his glare hard and cold. Seeing Robyn embarrassed was bad enough, because he knew she was kind. But Cloud. Ike fought for his friends, and now that he had friends to fight for…

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"Three, two, one. Go!"

The brawl was short and sweet. Ike was angry, but not prepared. Even as he told Lucina to 'prepare herself' he wasn't even readying his golden blade. He underestimated her. With lightening strikes she brought up his damage level until he was gasping for breath. He got in a few hits, but she flipped with agile grace over most of his swings and finally struck him a blow near the edge that sent him falling, head first, off the ledge.

Ike wasn't usually one to be embarrassed. And that stood for this rather humiliating defeat as well. He said absolutely nothing as they stood in the winner's pavilion and she said in a crystal clear voice filled with disdain, "They call _you_ the Radiant Hero?"

As soon as they were transported to the hallway in a flash of light, he laid a heavy hand on her shoulder. She turned, eyes sparking. "Are you going to whine about your defeat? I beat you fair and square, Mr. hulk!"

"I challenge you again," he answered in his same monotonous, even tone. "You couldn't refuse."

"I wouldn't want to," she retorted, initiating the advance to the portals. "I'll win again."

Ike took a silent approach for this brawl, and it unnerved her, even as her initial expertise with the sword had unsettled him. He was ready for her every strike and surprised her by using unique combos. With hardly any damage he sent her flying with a scream off the stage.

Now it was her turn clap silently, her brow furrowed, as he hurled his sword into the ground, folded his arms, and said with a dead pan stare, "You'll get no sympathy from me."

As the flash of light faded to reveal the hall she folded her arms. "I guess not," was her stiff answer as she stalked away.

Ike watched her leave and turned to find Cloud standing behind him. "What?"

"Good show," he replied. "I don't need you to defend me from insults, but…"

Ike's eyes hardened and Cloud placed a hand on his shoulder. "…but I'm glad you did."

"Ike?" Robyn had appeared behind Cloud and the blonde warrior stepped away. Ike avoided her eyes as she stood in front of him. "Ike," she repeated, her voice scolding this time.

He met her gaze and read earnestness there.

"Ike, why don't you go talk to her. I'm telling you, I know her. She's not like that. Chrom could tell you that if you don't believe me…"

"I believe you," Ike interrupted. He turned and walked off in the direction Lucina had just taken.

Why was he doing this? He wasn't friendly. He didn't listen to silly tacticians when they told him to talk to someone. He didn't make friends with blonde warriors. He didn't try to defend people. He didn't get angry unless _he_ was the one being insulted. Sigh.

She was sitting on a balcony overlooking the garden. As silently as possible he walked up behind her. And he knew before she said anything that 'as silently as possible' wasn't going to be nearly enough.

"What are you doing?" her voice was tinged with annoyance and disgust. "Honestly, you didn't strike me as the sort of person who would try to comfort someone they beat."

He said nothing, mind churning. "Good."

She turned to face him and raised an eyebrow. "You know I'm not a Marth clone, right?"

Ike was pleasantly surprised at how everything struck home all at once. This Lucina was… insecure. She had obviously been called a Marth clone before and she was being cruel to hide it. It was oddly familiar. He remembered the comments he had gotten back in Brawl. How hurtful they had been. What they had done to his rather sweet, back-then self.

"You're self conscious because people say you're a Marth clone."

"I didn't say that," she snapped, glaring.

He ignored her as he continued, "Lucina. You are a princess. Your own father is here to support you. You have a guy who's head over heels in love with you. And you have great clothes." His monotone became slightly frustrated. "My goodness. You have everything I _didn't_ have in Brawl."

Her glare melted and she stared at him. "Y-you…" The frown returned. "There was no one they could have compared you to in Brawl!"

"Marth clone is a description," he responded coldly. "So is 'insecure', 'stupid', 'dumb', 'klutz', 'ugly', and all that jazz."

Her frown disappeared again and there was a heavy silence. No more disgust or disdain clouded her countenance. She was being herself and spoke now in a normal tone. "You're not any of that."

"I know that... Now. Are you a Marth clone?"

"No. Technically, I'm his descendent."

Ike had to digest that information and it took a moment. "Well."

"So is this 'tough guy' attitude, a shell?" Her tone was accusing. "I mean, I'm guessing that was how you responded to… any insults in Brawl," she mumbled.

"Maybe it's a shell," he acceded, glaring a moment later. "But everyone has a shell. And _ours_ are totally different."

"Not that different."

"Oh? Well, at least I keep my mouth shut."

"What are you saying?"

"As if insults ever helped anyone."

She pressed her lips together, but then she was smiling shyly. "Yeah, I guess not. But closing up doesn't help _you_."

"I don't need help."

"You need it just as much as I do."

"No," he retorted. "I don't. I have one… two friends. No one dares call me any names anymore. And I'm fine."

"Who are your two friends?"

"You're not one of them," he answered, gaining control of himself and sinking back into a monotone. "Don't give yourself airs."

"Hmph."

Ike turned and left. What had he done? He'd just exposed himself. He'd just helped some random swords woman who had some dumb insecurity. He'd just… acted as if he was her friend.

That evening Ike sat as far away from Lucina as he could. He sat far away from Cloud. He sat far away from Robyn. He sat far away from everyone else. He was _not_ friendly. He was a hardened warrior. He was mean. He was _not_ a klutz, stupid, dumb, insecure, or ugly. Well, maybe he was ugly, but that didn't matter. He _was_ cruel, hardened, friendless, and…

"Hey, Marth clone!" came Roy's voice from what Ike had officially dubbed "Marth's Table". "Heard you lost to the mercenary. Don't worry about it. Sequels are never as good as the original."

Ike's face flamed hot and he glanced sideways to see Lucina blushing a furious red from where she sat with Robyn and Robin. She opened her mouth, but he beat her to it.

"Roy!" he thundered. "Shut your trap or I'll do it for you."

Another glance at Lucina and her face slowly faded to a rosy pink. She glanced at him and mouthed, "Thank you."

Ike tightened his jaw as he turned back to his food. Okay. So he was stupid too. Who was he fooling? He had made friends whether he liked it or not. Three friends. He clenched his fist. That was it. Only three friends. No more.

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 **What do you think? You think Ike will be able to stay solid at three friends? No idea when the next chapter will be up. Honestly, this was supposed to be a one shot, but... Reviews told me to keep it up. I guess I'm not very strong willed or something. Or maybe I just can't help writing (especially if it's about Ike) ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Before I begin, thank you guys for following the story. I know it's been a while. Just remember, this fic was supposed to be a one-shot.**

 **In addition, I'd like to say that characterization-wise, Marth is not a perfect angel. He's not perfect. If he acts like it, it's a front. At least here. He's serious and more realistic, I think, so if that's a little OOC...feel free to let me know, but also realize that I probably won't change it... So yeah.**

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How could it be that he was so popular and so lonely? He felt like his whole relational life was an oxymoron. If you had friends you weren't lonely, right? And he had more friends than anyone, so he should have been the person who _never_ struggled with feeling left out, excluded and…friendless. Right? Right.

He dragged his hands through his hair, grabbed his tiara from his head, and turned it around in his hands. He glared at it. It was true. If you had friends, you weren't lonely. But he didn't have any friends. He hadn't known it before, but he knew it now. Marth; no friends.

Maybe if he hadn't been a prince he would have friends. Maybe if he hadn't been such a good swords fighter. Maybe if he hadn't been so doggone attractive. Maybe. Or maybe if he just hadn't tried to keep all those that surrounded him as surface friends. That certainly could have something to do with it. He wanted to kick himself. Duh, Marth.

Of course, he was proud of himself for making the sacrifice. He didn't want to hurt anymore people. Everyone he'd ever been around had gotten hurt, or killed or…worse. Any more friends he made would probably conclude their lives in an untimely demise as well. And it would be his fault. But surface friends wouldn't be effected. So he was noble, really, keeping true friends away. Or maybe he was a coward.

He didn't want to hurt himself anymore. All the friends he'd had died or…double-crossed him. Maybe he wanted to keep himself from getting hurt from another loss or getting hurt from another betrayal. He couldn't handle it. One more would crush him. Surface friends, if they died or betrayed him…well, that didn't hurt so much. And anyway, as far as he'd seen, none of them had done that yet.

Well, sure, Samus had betrayed him. They'd been 'together' for Melee and most of Brawl, but then it turned out she'd been going out with Snake behind his back. But that was okay. He told her himself that he hadn't been an honest boyfriend anyhow because he wasn't straightforward with her. But he hadn't told her why. Because she was just a surface girlfriend. And they were still friends now, anyway. Still friends just like everyone else was friends with him.

He glared at his feet as he sat on his bed. It really was most ridiculous. Why did that mercenary, of all people, have any friends at all? It was the most demented thing Marth had ever experienced and he was angry. It wasn't truly fair at all. What did he have? Blast that Ike! He didn't have anything even likable about him. Marth had known him for longer than any of of Ike's three new friends and he knew what sort of person this mercenary was. He was stupid, cold, and strong. None of those aspects comprised someone who could be thought of as a close friend. But Ike had three friends and Marth had, count them, zero. He growled something unintelligible under his breath.

Robyn. He'd actually been part of the plan that had gotten them together as friends. He'd encouraged it. He'd agreed to it. He even wished that he himself could try to befriend Ike. Of course he'd known it wouldn't work; obviously he'd proved himself a rotten person to Ike in Brawl and the mercenary wasn't about to forgive, but still. Marth had tried and helped and who got the best end of the small 'talk' he'd partially helped to organize? Ike. And Robyn. Not Marth.

Cloud. Marth would never understand that. How could two stiff people become friends? Especially two stiff people like that. Especially two stiff, strong, cold people with large swords. And it wasn't like he thought, for a moment, that Ike had been somehow nicer to Cloud than Marth had. Marth had been one of the first people to say hello to the newcomer. And he'd been coldly rebuffed, which admittedly hurt some. It hurt more when literally three weeks later Ike had stolen him and the two men were now 'sword buddies' of sorts. Marth would never admit that it might be nice to have a sword buddy. A real sword buddy. Especially the 'buddy' part.

And Lucina. Of all people! He'd done nothing to her. Nothing. Except introduce himself. And she'd completely rebuffed and scorned him. What was wrong with her? What was wrong with _him_? She looked very similar to him as well. Shouldn't that at least hold some attraction for her? They were related, for goodness sake. That should have made her want to know him better; made her want to be friends. That should have made her admire him. That should _not_ , of all things, have made her hate him. But the scorn in her tone… He'd never forget it.

And her scorn had been there for Ike as well. He'd heard it. He knew the scorn well, too. Especially when it was directed at Ike. It was the same tone of voice that most of the smashers had used towards the mercenary during Brawl. Ike had been very naive then and too many insults had obviously done more harm than good, but shouldn't the scorn have made him leave her alone? Shouldn't the scorn have caused him to be exactly what he was; a cold, silent, strong…dude? So why? Why were they suddenly friends, after she beat him once and he beat her once and…. Why was it so unfair?

What had he done so terrible wrong that made him have zero friends and Ike have three? Three close friends was much better than the hundreds of surface friends Marth had. The Hero King knew. He grunted as he stood. Well, there was no use complaining. He couldn't think about that right now.

He replaced his tiara. Taking out his phone he glanced at it as he walked over to fasten on his cape and grab his sword for the day's brawls. Some Facebook post. He replied to it.

"Thanks! You're the sweetest friend, Roy! :-)"

As he pulled on his cape and fastened the clasp he thought about Roy. The red head had probably been his only real friend. But the space between Melee and Sm4sh had been too long and by the time Roy had returned…Marth knew that his 'buddy' wasn't interested in the same sort of friendship anymore. He was into girls and his fans on the internet. Marth remembered when he'd been like that in Brawl.

Maybe. Maybe if he'd just been kinder to Ike in Brawl he would have a friend now. Maybe if he'd made sure to encourage Ike, stand up for him, and hadn't given him the cold shoulder when he thought he'd replaced Roy, he'd have a friend in the mercenary now. The Hero King snorted as he sheathed Falchion. That was baloney. Ike wasn't the type who made friends. Marth hesitated. Or maybe the Hero King just didn't know how to make friends himself. It was a sobering thought as he exited his room.

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 **So, please review with thoughts. I tried redoing what I did in the first chapter in this one. Just trying to see inside the mind of a new character. I hope to see you soon in this story! But no promises...**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry for the long wait for this story. It's still going, just... y'all want Maxcy Leland to write another chapter, yes? And then I hope to bring more of Cloud and Robyn (I miss both of them), but right now I have 1/2 a chapter and I'm stumped as to how I should have Ike react. I'll think of something eventually, but...**

 **Ike's POV**

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Pretty boy.

My eyes narrowed as he entered the room. Greeted by everyone with smiles, winks, and the normal 'have you seen what that girl posted about you?' questions. The response was the usual one as well. He smiled back, winked back, and said, 'Yes, I'm flattered.' And then he headed towards me. That was _not_ normal.

I snorted, glaring at him, and abruptly his smooth, clear complexion darkened and he was glaring right back. What a surprise. I hadn't thought he had a glare in him. A snarky grin threatened to break over my face, but I held it back and tightened my lips.

"Ike, did you read the teams for today?" His voice was cold and even.

I didn't answer. Obviously he had a reason for approaching me and actually speaking my name with a question attached. I waited to see what that reason was. It had to be good.

"Well did you?"

"No," I said, after an awkward pause. At least it would have been awkward if the air between us wasn't smoldering with our fiery frowns.

"Oh." He turned away, breaking the unofficial 'staring contest' and stood right beside me, his gloved hand resting lightly on his sheath as he stared straight ahead at nothing. Confused in the extreme and highly annoyed by his snobbish presence, I realized he was probably aiming to make me look ridiculous.

Everyone else in the room probably knew exactly what he meant by his question and were waiting for me to respond in the obvious manner. But I had not the foggiest idea what he was aiming for and I felt extremely stupid standing there and doing nothing. A flush crept over my cheeks. The feeling was familiar to those of hundreds of other moments where I had experienced the same thing.

My response in Brawl would have been to pretend I knew what I was doing as I responded, become even more humiliated, and then flee the room in as dignified a manner as I could while everyone, especially Marth, laughed up their sleeves and wondered how I'd ever gotten into Smash Bros. I was not in Brawl anymore.

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 **Let me know how y'all think Ike should respond. Thanks! :-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, I did end up figuring somethin' out, so thanks for your patience. This was a collaboration effort with Maxcy Leland, and I appreciate her help. Why else am I excited about this chapter? Collabs are awesome.**

* * *

He turned and looked down at Marth. He stared at him for a long time. He debated what to say as his glare got deeper. Finally he...didn't say anything.

"I misplaced Falchion," Marth continued after a sustained pause.

"Your problem, not mine," returned Ike bluntly.

"Which is why I asked the first question, Ike," he returned, almost patiently, though his voice was cold. "It IS your problem because we're on the same team."

Ike turned away to stare at the smashers milling around the room, acting as if they had not noticed the conversation occurring.

The mercenary glanced left and down at Marth's empty sheath. Then he glanced straight and up at Lucina and Robyn. And he realized he wanted to take Robyn out for ice cream and get to know her better and that Lucina might be willing to let Marth borrow her sword for their brawl.

"Lucina," he said in his deep, harsh voice.

She looked at him, prepared to smile, when she noticed Marth and Ike's glare. Her own eyebrows knit and she stalked over to them, coolly ignored 'her clone' and gave Ike a pert grin. "Whadda you need, friend?"

Ike almost smiled. "You have any fights scheduled in the next half hour?" He jerked his thumb at Marth. "Misplaced his sword and...well, he's on my team."

Lucina raised an eyebrow and gave Marth a disgusted look. "Did he? The 'Hero King'? Well for your sake, Ike, sure." She brought up her sword so quickly and so close to Marth he jerked back. She smirked. "Here. We'll see if you can use it. Cheers, Ike."

He gave her a small grin and nodded and she walked off, back to Robyn. Ike caught the gaze of the white-haired lady and saw her brown eyes looked rather confused and maybe sad. He briefly wondered why and figured he could ask later.

"Marth Lowell and Ike Greil," boomed the deep voice of the announcer. "Versus Diddy Kong and Cloud Strife!"

Ike met Cloud's cool gaze from across the platform. Not wanting to have anything to do with the prince or with Diddy Kong, a powerful fighter, Ike charged the blue-eyed soldier.

"You see who I've got on my team?" grunted Ike as his sword clashed with Cloud's in a blaze of sparks.

"Yeah, but I'm allergic to monkey hair apparently, so I'd trade." He thrust Ike off of him and struck out with his large cleaver.

Ike leapt over the slash and caught Cloud up in the air with his Aether move. "Maybe humiliating, personal jabs don't bother you as much," Ike retorted, slamming Cloud down on the ground.

As the blonde regained his feet and knocked Ike back with a swing, he answered, "Haven't experienced many that I paid attention to. Humiliating jabs against me tend to come from...myself." He ducked under Ike's punch and Ike jumped over him to avoid a jab.

Cloud whirled and they faced each other for a moment before Ike answered, "You think that's as bad as from outsiders?"

"Well, I can't really punch myself anyway except by doing those personal jabs." Cloud abruptly gave a smirk as he raised his weapon. "If Marth tried to humiliate me...well, he's much easier to punch."

"Tell me about it," Ike returned, flashing a white smile as he began charging up an attack.

With the whoosh of a cape, Marth landed between the two. "Do you not take brawls seriously?" he snapped. "You're talking with each other?"

"Get out of here!" Ike growled. "Go fight Diddy or something." There was a stall in the fight as the teammates faced **one** another.

"I've had my share of peanuts in the face," the prince retorted. Marth's face bore the small red marks caused by peanut bullets. He was getting heated despite his best attempts to stay calm. "Meanwhile you chat with Cloud. I think I'd prefer to switch. Unless you're too craven."

"That deserves a punch," muttered Cloud, beginning to charge up a Limit Break.

Ike angrily slashed at Marth. Due to their partnership, Ragnell had no effect on the prince, who blinked, still glaring.

"You can just admit it. You're scared to face a monkey because he drastically outranks you in the tiers. Well I'm your teammate, not your bodyguard."

"I hate you," Ike hissed, leaping into the air. "And what you said is ridiculous because I'm here fighting Cloud-"

"Your friend," Marth shot back.

Cloud completed his charge at that moment and sent Marth flying with a cry.

It took only a few moments for Diddy to send Ike over the edge as well with a hoot of delight. As a roaring sounded in his ears, Ike heard Cloud sneeze.

There was the dull clapping beside him as he and Marth congratulated the winners. Cloud sneezed once more and, casting Ike a quick glance, walked away from Diddy with a disgusted look. Ike turned to look at Marth. "I'm sure Lucina won't be too surprised at your ill-use of her sword," he said coldly.

"Since you're friends with Lucina, why don't you just say it. 'They call YOU the Hero King?'"

"Hm! Your title is joke. A phrase created by ...by fangirls."

"Attacking me to cover yourself?" returned Marth, folding his arms. "You were just as much to blame! Talking instead of fighting...Conversations can occur every other time of day. The brawls are not for that! In fact, it might be illegal!"

"Is it? But I'm sure, being a king, you could get out of any mess. Being popular, it doesn't matter that YOU talked. But I, I have to watch my back."

"That's not true!"

"Yeah? You're just plain stupid. Hm. That sounds like a phrase I've heard before." Ike whirled on his heel.

Marth swallowed. He felt slightly desperate. Pretending to lose his sword so that he could start a conversation with the mercenary. That had been desperate to begin with. But he was failing to make Ike like him and he was now almost frantic enough to try and apologize, just so he wouldn't...fail. The prince had always hated apologies. Didn't everyone? It was embarrassing to admit wrong. Especially to unforgiving recipients.

"Ike!" He didn't mean for his voice to be so commanding and harsh. Not that it mattered, since Ike didn't stop.

Marth ran forward and stepped in front of him, blocking his way. "Okay, big guy, listen to me. I..." He sobered. "I want to apologize. Maybe you don't - but you probably do - remember all the times in Brawl where I basically thumbed my nose at you and ignored you as being beneath me and thought of you as stupid and dumb. I can't say I acted that way because I was jealous or really...felt that. I just thought of you as the guy who had replaced Roy and I... I guess I thought I was important enough that if I showed how upset I was, they'd get rid of you and bring Roy back. And I'm sorry. It was wrong of me in so many ways, and I wanted to ask you to...forgive me. Maybe so we could even start with a fresh slate and be friends here in Sm4sh." He gave Ike a pleading, honest look. Probably the most honest look he'd ever given anyone.

"You're not sorry," Ike sneered. "And I didn't give two hoots for your treatment of me in Brawl. I recognize that I was new both to Smash and to socializing with...others. The socialization on my part hasn't improved, but...l'm no longer new to Smash. I don't need you and your fake apologies and fake friendship." He brushed past Marth and walked away without another word.

Marth looked down at Lucina's sword in his hand. His face burned with shame and anger. He didn't know what to say, there was nothing TO say. He'd apologized and Ike had refused to accept it. Why even bother being friends with someone like that? It was Ike's own fault that he didn't want to be friends with him.

As he headed off to find Lucina, he forced himself to feel annoyed that he would have to pursue Ike, when it was normally everyone else who was pursuing HIS friendship.

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 **Satisfied? No, I guess not. I'd like to take a break from Marth and go back to Robyn and Cloud. Ideas are welcome. This WAS supposed to be a oneshot. Hm. I guess I should stop saying that now I'm on chapter 7.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A new chapter. The only reason it is this long is because I did not write it, LOL. Many, many thanks to Legend of Conan for agreeing to write this chapter. Bro, I really appreciate it. Please review and let me know how you like it, because I loved it.**

 **Starts off with a little backtrack...**

 **Robyn's POV.**

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It was such a rarity for a building with this many people to be so silent. And somehow I felt sure it had to do with a certain mercenary. When I peered over to the wall where Ike stood, it also didn't surprise me to see Marth was part of the cause of so sudden a change in the atmosphere.

Every time that pair was close, no matter the place, you could hear a pin drop. I loathed the awful silence, and I hardly hated anything. Smashers would talk in faint whispers to give off the impression that they weren't listening, but I knew the truth…and so did Ike.

I tried my best to tune out their conversation by starting my own with Lucina. I was doing a decent job, but curiosity was taking hold of the young, blue-haired swordswoman. Occasionally Lucina would peer past my shoulder, nodding her head in response to something I said, trying to give off the impression she was listening to me. I knew better; I wasn't a fool.

"Lucina…" Ike's deep voice called over and Lucina quickly stalked over to the mercenary. I watched her exchange a few words with Ike and the Hero King before pulling out her Falchion. A bit of interest came over me when Lucina handed the sword to Marth. What had happened?

When Lucina returned, I didn't need to ask. Marth's empty sheath was clue enough to his reason for borrowing my friend's sword.

"The 'Hero King' has misplaced his sword," scoffed Lucina. "He's in a fight with Ike, so I'm letting him borrow mine for the match."

A slight chill ran up my spine. Marth losing his precious Falchion was so unlikely that I would have never joked about such a thing. What had happened? I forced my thoughts away from the mystery.

"Well that was very nice of you to let him use it, Lucina." I smiled encouragingly.

Lucina snorted at my remark. "I wasn't doing it for him..." She shook her head in aggravation. "Why would I ever do it for him?"

It pained me to hear this. "Because it's the nice thing to do?"

She puffed her cheeks. "Well, I was doing it for Ike, not him."

Even mentioning the help she'd given Marth was making Lucina angry, which was somewhat disheartening. Deep down, Lucina was really a kind soul, but words had had an impact on her that wasn't easily shaken.

I peered over at the mercenary again. He was making his way out of the room for his match, but our eyes locked briefly. My unease seemed to wash away in his ocean-blue eyes, but it was only momentary, as the thought of Lucina's interaction with Marth brought me back to a cool, harsh reality.

* * *

Several minutes later, watching on the brawls screens, it was clear the battle was in full swing. I was admittedly finding amusement when Ike and Cloud broke into casual conversation in the heat of battle. It was heartwarming to catch faint smiles emanating from Ike's expression.

Marth broke up their interaction quickly, scolding Ike on his wrongdoings, but the moderators for the battle drowned out the argument. It didn't matter, because if I was good at anything, it was reading people's expressions, and their eyes told a whole story on their own.

I could see distress in Marth's gaze. It would come off as aggression to anyone else, but I saw the desperation behind the knit eyebrows. Ike's face was red and the normally cool, blue eyes were glittering with a frightening intensity as he said something. The argument was more than heated and anyone would admit that.

"Man, can't Marth just leave Ike and Cloud alone?"

"Yeah well, Cloud and Ike shouldn't be talking up a storm in the middle of a duel!"

"Marth just needs to step up his game and stop complaining."

"Hey, you leave Marth alone!"

"Yeah, yeah, go defend Pretty Boy."

I glanced over in frustration at my peers. The lounge had broken out into several minor arguments. As I'd expected, Lucina, Toon Link, and several others were arguing with Zelda, Falco, Peach and many more about the events transpiring on screen.

"Guys!" I interrupted loudly.

They all looked over at me.

"Relax…" I gave them a long stare. "Just take a deep breath and relax."

Many of the more prideful smashers looked away, holding their chins high, while others showed a side of shame for the silly argument over a brawl.

I sighed, standing up from my seat. "Look, just try to remember that we're all family here, okay?"

Several nodded, while others ignored my plea. Turning away, I headed for the exit. And as I left I could already hear several fighters behind me breaking out into gossip again.

* * *

In the library, I was sorting through books, something that always gave me mild enjoyment. Times like these were good for recollecting. So I thought about Falchion, and the implausible idea of Marth losing such an item.

 _Did he perhaps…do so on purpose?_ I thought. It didn't make sense, but there was no other option. I knew Marth. He would have told the authorities if it had been stolen. He was too careful with his things to lose something of such value on accident. So it must have been on purpose. And I suddenly remembered that look of desperation in his eyes. I remembered the look, from months ago, when he had thought of Ike, all alone on New Years Eve. He was sorry for what he had done to Ike in Brawl and losing Falchion was some sort of ploy in order to gain a conversation with the mercenary. Without the loss of the sword, neither swordsman would have spoken with each other during the brawl and nothing would have changed. But Falchion's disappearance had led to the conversation. And I realized something. Marth was trying to apologize!

This made the interaction between him and Ike all the more understandable. I knew how stubborn Ike could be. An apology would do nothing. A conversation wouldn't lead to an opening for Marth to apologize. And the fury in Ike's eyes during the battle was all too clear. There was no forgiving the Hero King.

Abruptly I felt an underlying revelation bubbling up, but I didn't want to admit it. Still, it was undeniable. The cold hatred of Ike and his ignoring everyone except his few friends. Marth's popularity and adoring fans, inside and outside of Smash. And it was most obvious from the lack of conversation when the two where in the same room together. Everyone went quiet and conversations, if kept up, where continued in a whisper.

Ike and Marth are having a negative impact on the mansion as a whole. It pained me to realize this, especially when I realized Ike was majorly to blame… but there was no denying it.

* * *

I exited the library, searching for Ike. Toon Link was sitting on a bench near the lounge doorway, writing a letter to relatives, no doubt.

"Hey, Hon," I greeted him gently. "How're you doing?"

He looked up at me and smiled. "Good. Did you see that brawl between Ike and Marth today?"

My smile died. "Toon, they were on the same team. It wasn't a brawl _between_ them, it was _them_ against Cloud and Diddy Kong."

Toon Link shrugged and shook his head. "You didn't see the way they looked at each other."

I pursed my lips. "Well, do you know where Ike is?"

He raised one of his thick, black eyebrows. "Why?" He knew no one talked to Ike willingly. Not most people anyway.

"Because, dear, I have a question to ask him," I teased, grinning kindly at him.

"Over there, somewhere," he responded, pointing. "I just saw him."

"Thanks!" I walked off, Toon Link's words swirling in my head. 'You didn't see the way they looked at each other.' Well, I _had_ seen it. And I knew that everyone else saw it, too. They knew Ike hated Marth and that was that. What was less obvious, even to me, was what Marth's opinion of Ike was. Even wanting to apologize didn't mean a clear emotion towards the mercenary he had known since Brawl.

When I found Ike, he was looking out a large window at a group of Smashers outside who were kicking a ball around. I snuck up next to him, making sure he didn't notice my presence. The Smashers he was watching were Cloud and Lucina along with several of the younger Smashers, Peach, Ryu, and Samus. It was nice to see the two sword bearers interacting with others, especially Cloud.

I wondered how Ike was taking in the sights. Robin was currently walking up to Lucina; he nervously tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to face him. I couldn't tell what they were saying as they started talking, but I saw Lucina was being civil… for once.

"Nice to see Lucina and Robin are getting along," I said quietly in a happy tone.

Ike leapt out of his skin. "R-Robyn!" He let out his breath and grunted. "I didn't see you there."

I tried to contain my laughter, but it still came out in small giggles. "I know, that's why I did it," I teased.

Ike frowned, but I sensed there was mild glee behind his blue gaze and I knew he appreciated the friendly gesture of teasing. It meant he trusted our friendship to be deeper than surface-level and to continue for longer than many he might have had before.

"Well, anyway… What do you make of that?" Ike pointed out the window dully, his eyebrows knit as if he were trying to understand what he was seeing.

"Oh, the outside? It's a beautiful day," I answered, trying to push Ike's buttons some more.

"Not that," he answered doggedly, unaware I had purposely misunderstood. He pointed again at Cloud and Lucina, "That."

"Hmmm. Maybe they went out to enjoy the beautiful day," I suggested cheerily.

He looked over to me in frank amazement and then back out the window.

I grinned sheepishly. If anyone else tried pestering the mercenary like this they'd likely end up in the infirmary.

"And now they're talking with them…" he mumbled.

"They all wanted to enjoy the beautiful day together, I assume."

Ike grumbled, which made me giggle.

"So what are you saying?" I asked finally.

He looked over to me. "They're…talking…with others…nicely." He spoke haltingly, as if he was embarrassed that he felt this way.

"Lots of people do that. Maybe, I don't know, we could follow suit?" I looked at a non-specific corner of the room to try and give the impression that I was in deep thought.

"I'm not going to interact with those other people," he stated bluntly and rather harshly, something I could tell he regretted immediately after.

"I think you're right," I said. "They probably don't want to be interrupted. So, since they're busy…" I grabbed Ike's arm and grinned. "I get the whole afternoon with you."

I was really taking a gamble by touching Ike. He didn't like to touch or be touched. to my complete surprise, after a few seconds of staring into each other's eyes…he smiled.

"Well…that would be nice, Robyn."

I felt my face warm slightly. _Focus… focus Robyn…_

"Actually," he continued, looking confused as to how to word his next sentence. "…I wanted to take you to get ice cream earlier, but…brawls were already scheduled…"

 _Focus! Focus Robyn!_ "Is that so?" I stated rather matter-of-factly. _Play hard to get, Robyn._ "I didn't know you had a sweet tooth, Ike," I teased

He grew a tad red, which made me nervous. I definitely didn't want to scare him off. "Well, everyone does, I think." His nervous smile made my heart melt.

I giggled. "In that case, Ike…." I tugged on his arm again. "Let's get going."

* * *

We both sat quietly in the small ice-cream shop. Despite my pleas, Ike wanted to pay for us. Which made me secretly happy.

I'd gotten a strawberry and vanilla flavored ice cream with little bits of chocolate sprinkled on top, while Ike simply got French vanilla. It was strange to me how unrefined he could be. Yet that was Ike: Blunt, simple, no-frosting-on-top, absolutely Ike.

Still, out of all the people here at Smash, he was the hardest to read. I _did_ know that every action he let out was usually a contradiction of how he really felt. He had a kind heart, mostly, but his harsh tone and intimidating glare made everyone think otherwise… including himself. Still, I knew better.

The quiet, hardened exterior was like an impenetrable shell guarding the true emotions he may or may not have felt inside. This was something I was certain of, if only because I'd been Ike's outlet thus far. For a person who hardly expressed his feelings, he was certainly the most passionate when they did seep through. Whether it was anger or…loyalty.

Then I thought of Marth, a man who was somewhat Ike's opposite when it came to expression. The thing about all of us smashers was we often kept up a ruse of our true selves as a way of impressing others. This was a hubris found in both Marth and Ike. In a strange way, though the outward expressions weren't the same, the two weren't all that different. I knew it was my job to reveal this somehow.

"Ike?"

He looked up from his ice-cream. "Yeah?" His full attention was on me, making me mildly nervous.

"Could we talk about a somewhat touchy subject?"

Ike nodded, taking a deep breath before lending his ear to me.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened today during the fight?"

He looked at me for a moment and then said solidly, "You didn't see it. Marth wanted to make things difficult for me, then we lost… simple as that."

He definitely made it sound simple the way he said it. But I knew it wasn't. And, reading his tone, I could see he didn't want to talk about it either. It might make it more complicated fast. But I wasn't ready to give up yet.

"You and Cloud started talking in the middle of the fight," I answered, trying to advocate for the prince who wasn't present.

"But if he'd done the same, no one would even bat an eye," he returned flatly.

"Okay, fair enough."

I paused, staring intensely into his face. This mercenary was usually unmoving. No one could break down his defenses. But I was not 'no one'.

After a time of silence, he got uncomfortable, averting his eyes from mine. His left leg grew restless, and he started shifting around in his seat. Whenever we spoke, I often used this tactic of 'stare down' to get a true understanding of his emotions. Through this, I knew something else was amiss.

"Ike is there anything else that happened?"

Before he could say anything, knowing he was just about to dismiss my question, I raised my hand to pause him. "And do not lie to me, Ike."

He froze, peering down at his lap. Finally he gave a small grunt. "Marth, might have apologized to me after the fight…"

"Because of the brawl or…?" I asked.

"Because of…how he'd treated me in Brawl."

I nodded in understanding, my hands clasped together. I had been right. Marth had apologized. But, reading Ike's countenance as we discussed the subject, I could tell the apology hadn't quite been accepted. As I'd known.

"Then what?" I prompted, raising an eyebrow. "It doesn't seem like your relationship has gotten any better."

Ike didn't answer as he looked away from me.

"Ike, couldn't you let go of your pride for just a moment?" My voice held a hint of pleading and he turned back to me with a flabbergasted expression.

"My pride?" His tone was harsh. He was definitely on the defensive.

"Yes, your pride. Marth came to you to apologize and you just brushed it off like it meant nothing."

"It _did_ mean nothing. A fake apology isn't an apology whatsoever." He crossed his arms.

"And how did you know it was fake?" I asked.

"They're all fake; him and all those royal, pompous types," he growled. I could see the mercenary was getting pretty heated.

"Lucina is royalty," I reminded him.

Ike raised an eyebrow, looking away again, flustered. "She-she's different." Ike's fortress was weakening.

"Ike, I know what Marth and the others did to you was wrong, but two wrongs don't make a right," I pleaded.

"How is what I'm doing in any way wrong?" Ike argued angrily. "He apologized; I denied it. He wants to be friends with me; I don't. How is that wrong?" he exclaimed.

"You know what happened today during and after your fight?"

He shook his head.

"All the Smashers broke into arguments. Fighters like Zelda, Peach, Little Mac, Pit…they were arguing for both your sakes. The whole mansion knows about your fight. And everyone knows, even more, about your hatred for Marth. And it's causing strife between friends."

"That's on them, not me."

"Your anger against Marth doesn't just affect you!" I snapped, beginning to be angry as well. "You want Lucina and Cloud to remain cold and judgmental forever, just because you can't swallow your pride?"

"They're their own person, they make their own decisions." His anger had cooled as mine began and his tone was flat and even.

"And you're our friend," I said, taking a deep breath and trying to control myself. "We care about you, Ike… And whether you like it or not, you're also the role model for so many fighters."

Ike paused; he closed his eyes, thinking over those last words. "Then, they should find another role model."

Unexpected answer. "Don't you say that! Ike, let go of your contempt for the popular Smashers for just a moment and think of someone other than yourself!" My tone came out far more aggressive then I wanted. But this new tone from me caught his attention.

His gaze wasn't defensive though, as he looked at me. It was more soft then anything. Shame, this is what I read in the blue eyes.

"They see something in you, Ike… They see it." I felt my voice soften. "I see it…"

Then we remained silent, sinking back into our seats. I hated talking like this to him. I cared about him too much, but that was why I had to do it.

"Ike…" I faltered.

He looked back to me.

"I know it's hard. I'm not asking you to be Marth's friend, just please end this cycle of negativity. If not for anyone, or yourself…" I locked my eyes with his. "Do it for me."

Unexpectedly the ocean-blue eyes twinkled briefly and the fortress came down, for only a moment, as Ike nodded slowly, the first reassuring smile I'd ever seen from him staining is demeanor. "Well then, I'll… I'll try."

I sat back, restraining myself from smothering him. "Th-thank you, Ike."

For the next few minutes, we sat in silence. It was okay, as I needed to think over a few things. Already, I felt horrible for some of the words I'd said to Ike, about his pride. But I didn't make my discomfort obvious.

"Robyn?" His voice tore through my thoughts like a dagger through paper.

My head jerked up and I looked at him expectantly. "Mhmm?"

"Do you think we could do this again some time? You know, just you and me, spending time together?" His face was slightly red, but his voice was soft and sweet.

Butterflies, that's all I felt…my stomach was taken over by butterflies. I just knew my cheeks were as red as freshly picked strawberries.

 _It took me all this time to break Ike's walls down, and he just did it to me in mere moments. And I thought I was smart at getting through his fortress_.

"Robyn, you okay?" Now he had a look of concern, an emotion I'd hardly seen.

"U-uhh, yes Ike… yes to both questions." I giggled.

He laughed out loud (another first). "Well, alright then. Good."

He smiled at me and I beamed back.

* * *

 **Please review, y'all. Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Last chapter. Hopefully it's slightly satisfying, lol...**

* * *

"That's totally not true," Zelda retorted. "Anyway, Link said it was expected."

"Look, I think you're just wiser in your other world than here," was the soft, cutting reply.

The princess' face flamed. "You are so immature!"

Ike was furious with everyone at the table in that moment. He had been sitting alone, perfectly happy, when Toon Link came over. There was nothing wrong with that, but when Zelda spotted it, she came over, too, and began talking with the young boy. And when Peach and Samus saw _that_ , they joined the table as well. Ness and Lucas had entered the cafeteria with their own lunches, and Toon decided he'd much rather spend time with them than the three ladies who gossiped together and gave him condescending smiles whenever he spoke. So now it was Ike and three people he had never enjoyed keeping company with, alone.

When Cloud had come in, the warriors' eyes had met. Clearly unwilling to join Ike in the face of such smashers who appeared deeply engaged in a small tif, he had sat down with Robin, Lucina, and Robyn.

"Ike, can you please tell Zelda she's not the smartest person here?" Samus snapped, looking meaningfully at Zelda with a sharp gaze as she pulled on Ike's large hand, which rested on the table.

He ground his teeth silently, clenched his jaw, and looked over at Robyn. She gave him a teasing smile, her brown eyes twinkling. He couldn't help the twitch of one eyebrow and the small smirk that came to his face. How could she have such an affect on him?

Peach and Zelda had swiveled in their chairs to look at what he was staring at, and they exchanged glances.

"Oh my goodness, Ike, do you like Robyn? That's so cute!" gushed Peach loudly. "The castle has a princess!" She giggled.

Ike rolled his eyes. "These girls haven't changed at all," he murmured. His voice was deep, and the rumble was loud enough to be heard and thoroughly understood.

"Not like you have," Samus snapped. "I thought you getting more muscular would've made you a bit less socially awkward, too."

"Funny," he returned, facing her full on, eyes glittering. "I thought that getting split into two different smashers would have made at least one of you nicer. I guess we're both dumb."

Samus' face turned red. "Say that when we're brawling, Ike," she flashed.

"Bowser! You leave her alone, I said!" Marth's clear voice rang through the cafeteria and all attention turned towards the giant dragon king, who had clearly been antagonizing Rosalina. Marth faced him valiantly, righteous anger playing over his handsome face.

"Make me, Martha," Bowser growled, a large, clawed hand reaching for Rosalina again.

Shy and gentle, Rosalina never fought back. It had been clear for a few days now that Bowser had been chasing her around, but as with most difficulties between smashers, especially ones so large, it had been nominally ignored or unnoticed. Rosalina's silence hadn't helped.

"You're saying she's weak and can't stand up for herself?" Bowser continued, swiping at Marth as he advanced.

"What I said was for you to let her be," was the deadly reply.

"You unsheathe that sword and I'll have you jailed," Bowser snapped.

Marth moved to stand in front of Rosalina, and a small smile played over his face. "Okay, Bowser, do you want trouble, or do you want to leave now?"

"You can't tell me what to do, brat." Bowser's breathy growl filled the room and fire sparked in his mouth. "I'm a stronger king than you ever were." A tendril of smoke slithered from one nostril, curling up to the ceiling.

Ike watched it dissipate in the air through careful eyes.

No smasher dared make a move. Bowser was clearly in a bit of a rage, and if Marth knew better, he would get out of his way now. Rosalina had already fled to a crowded table, and had slipped in right beside Little Mac and Ryu.

It was not that anyone was cowardly, but Bowser had seriously hurt both Shulk, Ganondorf, and Yoshi before while in a rage. The hands had done nothing about it due to his fame, and it was clear that a small smash-coin fine on Bowser's part was not worth the risk of potentially getting fatally wounded.

Bowser shot out a hand so suddenly everyone in the room jumped. Marth did, too, but a second too late, and he hit the wall with a sickening smack. The reptile king did not follow up the attack, and Marth got quickly to his feet, forehead wrinkled in pain.

"That's not acceptable, turtle."

"TURTLE?" Bowser's roar echoed and reechoed through the large area, and a few of the smashers headed for an exit or hid beneath the tables.

Ike pursed his lips. If things got worse, it would be wise to get the authorities. He glanced at Cloud. He was coolly ignoring what was going on, but his blue eyes were bright. There was no point in risking a debilitating wound for someone he was not even friendly with. Ike felt the same way, until his gaze locked with Robyn's. Her face said it all.

Bowser leapt bodily towards Marth, who dove desperately between his legs, rolling to his feet. Just as he stood, Bowser's spiky shell came hurtling at him, and he jumped up, barely clearing the sharp horns.

"Marth, don't," Roy said. "You shouldn't have started that, dude!"

"Help me out," the Hero King gasped in reply, dodging a powerful blow as he stepped back against the wall.

"Are you kidding?" Roy dove beneath his table as Bowser's red eyes glanced his way. Moments later a small fireball defused on the wall just behind him.

"We better get outa here," Samus hissed. "He's gonna incapacitate us all."

None of Marth's friends would help him, and Ike abruptly realized how nice it was to know that if was in the king's position, Lucina, Cloud, Robyn, and perhaps others would have stood by his side.

"Get lost, Bowser." His deep, commanding voice, made the rumbling growl die in the dragon's throat.

"Wh-what?" Bowser was incredulous and enraged that yet another person was daring to stand up to him.

"You heard me." Only part of Ike's brain was realizing what a foolish idea it was to do this. Bowser would probably tear him to shreds. Good bye, Smash; _adios_ , Robyn.

The stream of fire was not only scorching, it was highly illegal. Ike dodged it and ran for Bowser with a grunt. His sword would be helpful, but he knew that if he used it he would be in bigger trouble than Bowser. He grabbed the reptile's arm and swung him clumsily into a group of empty tables.

Screams erupted with the crash of the furniture breaking beneath the dinosaur's weight. Out of the corner of his eye Ike could see smashers fleeing the room.

Bowser looked larger than normal as he leapt to his feet. The ground shook as he charged Ike, who stood his ground, calculating how best to grab the scaly beast.

Marth wasn't one to stand by idly, especially after everything he'd been wanting for the past week was happening right then. He grabbed up a plate of food and hurled the entire thing expertly at Bowser's face. Roaring as it struck him, he blindly barreled into Ike, the deadly burst of fire he had been about to blow forth, cut short by his confusion.

The Radiant Hero grabbed Bowser's lower, right leg and grunted with pain and exertion as the dragon's claws scraped down his back and Bowser lost his balance and toppled onto his side.

"That's it." Cloud's voice was icy and loud.

Ike found himself free, though still in pain, and Cloud was giving Bowser a powerful punch to the jaw.

"Villain!" Lucina shrieked. As Ike watched in pride, she hurled plates, one by one, at the giant turtle.

Robyn and Robin both grabbed up chairs and started towards them, and Ike gained his feet and pulled Cloud back just before a powerful, back-legged strike by Bowser could knock him to the floor.

Bowser seemed to go mad, and with a screeching roar he hurled his fireballs all around the room. Singed and still bleeding, Ike ran for the door and tore it from its hinges. With this as a shield, he dashed towards the enemy.

Marth saw what could happen if he distracted Bowser, and with a yell and a few, well-aimed objects, caused the dinosaur to whirl on him in fury and pain.

"Forget it, Marth! You're dead," he thundered. Two swipes of Bowser's hands were easily dodged, but his head was not filled with sharp teeth for no reason. With a cry of agony, Marth was lifted up by his arm.

"Hey-ah!" Cloud shouted. Just as Ike swung the door out, splintering it with terrific force over the back of Bowser's head, the blonde warrior slid beneath the tail and toppled Bowser with a powerful kick.

The hit to the back of the head set Marth free, and he dropped wearily to the ground, his blood coloring the floor.

Bowser lifted himself up yet again and turned on the rest of his attackers, only to be hit by both of the tactician's chairs, Lucina's plates, and a powerful punch from Little Mac. He hurled fireballs at his array of foes, but these were blocked by a suited Samus and Kirby, who devoured more than a few.

He turned back to Marth, the start of his problems, yet Ike and Cloud both stood in front of him, and they attacked him simultaneously. Cloud grabbed his jaw, hoisted himself onto the head, and wrapped both of his muscular arms around the destructive mouth, face turning red with the exertion of trying to keep it shut. Ike buried a powerful shoulder into Bowser's gut and grabbed another leg to knock him to the floor again.

As Cloud was shook off of Bowser's face and hit the ground with a thud, Link leapt in front of him brandishing a chair.

"Falcon Punch!" Captain Falcon's powerful blow from behind sent Bowser back into his shell. As he spun wildly around the room, smashers rushed to get out of the way, and the shell finally stopped, sitting in a scorched corner, unmoving.

Moments later Master Hand entered. Eyeless, he surveyed the scene, took Bowser into his grasp, and exited with orders for the cafeteria to be cleaned.

* * *

It was late that night, in the lounge, that the friends debriefed.

"I hope this makes them buckle down on security," complained Lucina. "It really is ridiculous."

Cloud grunted and glanced at Ike. "How you feeling?"

"Just a bit sore. How's the arm, Marth?" It felt odd talking so genially to the Hero King, but he decided he would have to get used to it.

Marth gave a smile. "Aw, you know." He shrugged. "What I'm not looking forward to is taking a break from brawls."

"They can't keep us from training," Ike reflected soberly. "Which is good."

"Robyn was suggesting we form a battle ground in the training room to help us get used to unexpected attacks," said Cloud.

"Wouldn't that be fun?" Robyn enthused. "And it's wise."

"Oh, that sounds awesome!" Lucina was pleased. "We can do teams and stuff! Robin, you're with me!"

"Thank you," he chuckled, patting her hand.

Ike glanced at Marth. The Hero King was looking at the ground, a small, sad smile on his lips.

"Y-you can join us," he stated bluntly.

Marth met his gaze and grinned, his eyes twinkling. "Thanks, Ike. I appreciate it. Could I be with you?"

It had always been, 'Marth, can I be with you?' or—from Marth—'You're with me, lucky smasher'. It had never been that he had to ask that question, and Ike felt strange. "Uh, yeah, yeah. Whatever you want."

Marth took a deep breath. "Are you sure?"

Ike sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't sound chipper. Yes, you can."

"Is that like you saying we're friends now?" Marth was being light, but persistent.

"That's what you really want?"

"Absolutely."

"I fight for my friends."

"That's why I had some hope when you stood up for me."

Ike had to smile. "I guess I brought this on myself."

"I keep friends for life," Marth said, "so you're not getting out of this one."

"You guys are adorable," Robyn stated.

"You guys are hilarious," Cloud corrected her, and flashed a grin.

* * *

 **THE END -–- _adios_ FanFiction writing. XP**


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